This invention relates generally to fireworks devices, and more particularly, to a fan rack for the mounting and plurality of individual fireworks pieces arranged in a fan array and a fireworks device formed thereby.
For those who present fireworks shows it is common to arrange individual pieces of fireworks in an array to produce an asthetically pleasing aerial display wherein multiple fireworks are launched or fired into the sky to form a pattern. The aerial displays are generally composed of a plurality of individual aerial shells, star comets, mines, sky rockets, or other fireworks. Thus, an aerial display may contain exploding stars, stars, or aerial bursts. The individual fireworks pieces are arranged to ignite simultaneously or so near to simultaneously as to give the illusion of simultaneous ignition and launching.
In general, individual fireworks pieces are supplied in cardboard tubes which contain a propellant and a pyrotechnic display. The propellant lifts the display into the sky, whereupon the display ignites and provides a pleasing aerial effect. A fuse or electrical detonator extends out of the tube for igniting the fireworks piece. An electric ignition system is generally used in commercial or professional applications to the pyrotechnic device. Upon ignition there is an explosion and the fireworks shoot into the sky to form an aerial or mine display.
Heretofore, to set up a display comprised of more than one fireworks piece, the pyrotechnician had to jerry-build an array out of separate fireworks pieces. This is done by setting up individual tubes, side-by-side, with the discharge ends of the tubes arranged at appropriate angles so that the displays shoot out of the tubes skyward and explode in a pattern. If the relative angular relationship of the discharge ends of the tubes is not right, the fireworks will appear in the sky too close together or too far apart resulting in an unsatisfactory aerial fireworks display.
Each time a display is set up the technician has to mount the individual tubes, in a side-by-side arrangement, on the ground or other surface. The technician then has to calculate the appropriate angle of each tube, relative to its adjacent tube, so that the fireworks discharged from the tubes appear properly separated in the sky. The tubes then must be secured to a platform or to the ground in the proper angular arrangement. This secured, side-by-side arrangement of a plurality of fireworks tubes is generally known in the industry as a "fan".
When setting up a fan, the technician has to secure each tube to the ground or a platform in its appropriate relative angle so that the tube does not lean, fall, or otherwise move out of its proper angular alignment. Movement out of the proper angular alignment would not only ruin the visual effect of the aerial display, but could create a danger if, for example, a tube tipped to a position whereby the exploding fireworks could strike spectators, buildings or other objects. Furthermore, the technician must coordinate the ignition of the fireworks fuses so that each tube is ignited simultaneously, or so nearly simultaneously, as to give the visual impression that all the tubes have fired at one time.
Creating a fan array of fireworks pieces is time consuming and labor intensive. Moreover, to create more spectacular fireworks displays, it is desirable to have multiple rows of fan arrays to form one fireworks display. However, the more pieces of fireworks that are arranged in fan arrays, the more problems there are in the arrangement of such pieces. Typically, it is difficult and time consuming to form multiple arrays of individual pieces while maintaining the proper angular alignment of the pieces. Furthermore, the technician must provide for simultaneous ignition of the arrays.
If the pyrotechnician desires to launch a bank composed of multiple arrays of individual pieces, the technician must set up the individual pieces assuring proper alignment in more than one direction. If, for example, the technician sets up a display or bank having four arrays of five rockets each, the technician first must determine the proper angular relationships among twenty separate fireworks pieces so that the fireworks pieces launch into a coordinated and pleasing aerial display. Next, the technician must secure twenty individual pieces to the ground in those relative positions. Finally, the technician must arrange for the individual pieces to be ignited so that the fireworks pieces fire simultaneously or near simultaneously.
It should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that creating a display of fireworks using multiple pieces in multiple fan arrays can be labor intensive, time consuming and also requires more material such as detonators which are expensive. Furthermore, it can be difficult to get consistent results, display-to-display, since each display must be individually arranged and secured.